More Like Sisters
by Pavi's Only Girl
Summary: Miriam had only two brothers and never a sister. Tzipporah had three younger sisters whom she would never see again. So why not become sisters with one another? The story of Tzipporah and Miriam's best friendship from Dreamwork's "The Prince of Egypt".


I was gathering mud from a pool of sticky sand, water and straw to give to my brother, Aaron, and then he would give this to another slave. We were working day and night, only taking some hours off a while after the sun went down until the next morning. The early morning hours the work was starting and it was always just as harsh and excrucating as the last time. But that day a surprise was waiting for me.

A sound like a shard *thug* was heard and I lifted my head to see what was happening. A female voice called out "Moses!" Moses? I thought. My brother was back? Everyone in Egypt thought that he was probably dead but deep down, I knew that this could not be true.

Aaron walked by as Moses had fallen and landed into the mud after a slave, angrily, threw a ball of mud at him. His attempts to make Rameses set us all free had the exact opposite result. Many were enraged with Moses for this. As Aaron was attacking our baby brother, I couldn't stand there and watch. I moved to Aaron, telling him to stop and went fast to advise Moses. But he was not the only man I noticed... There was a woman with him. It was certain that she was not Egyptian nor a fellow Hebrew slave. She was from Midian. She seemed so loving and helpful towards Moses when he fell. I immediately felt thankful for her, from the first time I saw her and how she behaved to my brother. Her clever and loving eyes were truthful. There was not a single sign of mischief in them or a sign that she was faking anything for her own malicious advantage. She loved him. I wanted to meet her and get to know her better. Because it tured out that she was my sister in law, Tzipporah.

I soon learned everything for her and she learned everything for me. Moses had told her when he was in Midian that he was Hebrew and that he had an older brother and an older sister. She was just as curious as I was to meet us. And Moses was particularly happy to see his sister and his wife being so close.

"Miriam..." Tzipporah started one day as I was cleaning the clothes and she was hanging them on a rope so they could dry up.

I turned my head with a smile and a curious expression shadowing my face. "Yes, Tzipporah?"

She stopped and turned her slim body towards me, brigng her hand up and biting her right pointer finger tip, as if much lost in her thoughts before looking at me. Her eyes were clean and her expression serious and truthful. "You know... I have told you about my three younger sisters back in Midian, right?"

I blinked as I paid more attention and turned more to face her, nodding my head. "Mhm yes, you have. I hope you don't have any bad news for them or...?"

"Oh no! No, nothing like that, just..." A smile lightened her face as she looked at me sweetly. "You know how it's like to part with a sibling. You know it wel... I feel the same now that I don't know if I will ever see them and my father Jethro again. So... It would be my honor if I could call you my proper sister, Miriam."

I paused to grin up at her and chuckle. I wasn't expecting this. I mean, she was right, I, of all people, knew exactly how losing or missing a sibling felt like. One would not feel whole ever again unless they found their long lost sibling. Like I luckily found Moses again. So, Tzipporah had quite the point. I felt greatly moved and a sincere honor that she had just uttered these words to me. One, because I really loved her and two because I... felt the exact same for her. And not only because she was Moses's wife.

Tzipporah continued as I grinned at her. Her own smile grew considerably. "I mean, I /am/ your brother's wife, so we are pratically sisters, but... I mean, you are my very best friend. Miriam, really, I have shared with you things and facts that only my sisters know about me. Moses does too but he is my husband. Except him and my three younger sisters, I didn't believe that anyone else would ever learn some things about me that I kept secret from al the rest of the world. But you bring this out of me. You... you understand how I mean it, am I right?"

I nodded, still smiling broadly. "Yes, my dear, I understand very well. And look at how lucky we are as I must say that... Tzipporah... I never had a sister. I have my two brothers but this is different. Especially for a Hebrew woman. I know that it is not much different in Midian than it is here for us, but if you had a brother, things would be different between you than they are between you and your sisters. You share different things. So, Tzipporah. I feel the same for you, darling."

I saw her smile stretching into a grin, her dark cheeks flushing, even though her tanned Midian skin made it hard to notice, and her eyes shone happily. She set a dress she was about to hung down in the basket along with the est of the clothes and knelt down next to me, taking my hands in hers. I was stil smiling as I started stroking her knuckles with my thumbs. My eyes cought her biting her lower lip and sucking it into her mouth before looking up at me, her eyebrows furrowing as if she was moved. And so was I.

"Miriam, we have shared many things during the short time Moses and I are here in Egypt. I am a difficult person to open up to someone; Moses does know this well. But I don't want to lose what I share with you. We are women. We understand each other and we love each other much more than best friends would. We share the love of two sisters. You are special to me. I wanted to let you know. So, promise me, never forget this."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I will never forget this, Tzipporah. And you never forget that what you told me is the same thing that I would tell you. Put a mirror in front of your sweet words and this is what I feel for you, my sister."

'My sister'! This came out of my lips so naturally that it didn't even surprise me but I saw Tzipporah's eyes widening and her grin stretching more.

"Your sister!" She exclaimed. "My eternal honor to call myself you sister, sweet Miriam."

I leaned forth to hug her and felt her slim arms wrapping around me as she gracefully returned my embrace, enclosing me in it. In a dark time of Plagues and slavery, I felt her warm hug protecting me as my own protected her. We swung a little and parted only when we heard a wave of giggling from behind us. It was Aaron and Moses.

"What do my sweet eyes see, Miriam?" Moses asked, grinning and walking closer to us. We giggled and I wiped my right eye as a tear had scaped. "My wife and my sister bonding is one of the best sights I have ever seen." He continued.

"Oh Moses, they are like this since the day they met." Aaron teasingly hit Moses arm before stepping into the little home we all shared.

Tzipporah and I chuckled, watching Moses following Aaron, and we got up to finish up hanging the wet clothes.

It was a very cloudy evening when I saw Tzipporah standing outside of our home, looking really worried. I knew what was going to happen. In Goshen we were safe from God's wrath that was soon going to spill all around the land of Egypt. But Tzipporah could not rest.

I frowned and got out, wrapping my hand around her arm and while looking up at the skies. Growling and lighting from the sky warned us that a hail of fire was soon going to be brought down.

"C-come inside, my darling." I softly said, feeling her trying to move forwards but I was quick enough to pull her gently inside. "Please... Moses will be fine. He told us to stay here and be safe. God knows what He is doing. Trust me."

Unwillingly, she followed me back in and Aaron sealed the windows. "When will he come home, Miriam? What if Rameses attacks him, what if his men..."

"Shhh..." I touched her lips with my fingers, shuching her gently and a soft smile formed on my face. "Nothing of this will be done, I swear." I pulled her in my embrace and we stayed like this, crawled up in a corner until Moses returned after a good while.

A couple of days later, Moses warned us to mark the imposts of every door with the blood of a lamp as protection. That night, the Angel of Death would come and claim the lives of every first born. The last Plague of God upon Egypt. Rameses woudn't stand this. He would lose his first born son, the one who would follow him to the throne one day, becoming the next Pharaoh. That boy... would never see the light of the sun again... None of the Egyptians would listen to Moses, only the Hebrews were safe and even some of them did not listen... They paid the price for this soon.

Moses was gone. He was off to the palace. I understoo him, we all understood him. That man who was the greatst ruler of Egypt grew up with him. He used to be his brother. That boy was oractically Moses's nephew. The boy who lay lifeless on the cold stone as Rameses trembling hands set him there for the Gods to take his soul and protect him in the Underworld. It would be the last time Moses would see Rameses. Until he returned, Tzippora could not sit down. She could not rest one minute. I was trying to comfort her and I partly did it for a few minutes until she would again, walk to the door and take a look, trying to see if Moses was coming. The ninth time she walked out, after hearing slow steps, it was really Moses returning. He came along with some news. Our people was finally free.

Slowly we started encouraging the rest of the Hebrews that the rumors were true. We were leaving this Hell, ready to walk into a new land. Free to start anew. Tzipporah and I couldn't be closer that day. Celebrating and singing and dancing, we exited the gates of Isis and Osiris, on our way to a new home. Creating a new nation. Moses, Aaron, Tzipporah and I were alwys sticking together. Especially Tzipporah and I, helping others and encouraging them to follow when the exhaustion was getting the best of them. We fought and straggled when Rameses's army attacked us, passing to the other side and leaving the soldiers behind. Half of them dead and half of them, along with Rameses, alive, seeking a way to go back to Egypt. But for us, it was finally over.

"Miriam?" Tzipporah woke me up one night. Many months had passed and she was going to have my first nephew any day now. Her labored voice, laced with the sweetest pain a woman could ever feel, made me immeidately understand what was going to happen.

Aaron and Moses were waiting outside as for quite a few hours I was helping Tzipporah have her son. She would grasp my hand and I would grasp hers, going through everything with her. The sharp first cry of a baby was heard the early morning hours and I called Moses to see his son and left the couple alone as I happily walked to Aaron, cleaning my hands and arms.

"We have a nephew. A very handsome nephew, Aaron." I nearly squealed and my brother hugged me to him, smiling and kissing the top of my head.

"Are you happy, my sister?" He softly asked me. Aaron was never so soft before we left Egypt.  
I nodded smiling and this reply was enough for him.

It was a few days later that I was sitting with Moses while Tzipporah was putting Gershom to sleep. We were snuggling and talking, planning ou life after the slavery that was going on for years and years in Egypt. Moses had my hand in his, stroking it, as Aaron was working, planting a couple of plants. "Not a job for a woman." as he had stated, not letting me do it.

"I admire you two..." Moses said softly, smiling peacefully as his black eyes never left his beloved wife and son.

"Tzipporah and I?" I asked, turning to look at him.

He nodded, still looking at her before turning to face me. "Mhm. Do you know what you remind me of?" He asked.

I smiled and tilted my head to the side. "What?"

He smiled sadly and a tear fell from his left eye. "Me and Rameses." He whispered, bringing a smile to my face and hugging me to him as I hugged him back tightly. "Me and Rameses..."


End file.
